The removal of a rainbow Pride flag from the flagpole at Stonewall National Monument has triggered protests, political condemnation and a wave of online backlash, with LGBTQIA+ groups accusing federal authorities of attempting to dilute or rewrite the site's history.
The flag was taken downearlier this weekfollowing a 21 January, directive from the US Department of the Interior, which limits flags on federal land to the US flag, department banners and the POW/MIA flag. The policy applies across hundreds of National Park Service sites.
The Stonewall monument, in Greenwich Village, had flown an inclusive Pride flag since 2022, featuring black and brown stripes and trans colours. Smaller Pride flags remain attached to fencing around the park, but the main pole is now restricted under the new guidance.
Local leaders, activists and residents have since gathered outside the Stonewall Inn and Christopher Park, chanting for the flag's return andaccusing the federal governmentof 'historical erasure.'
Stonewall is widely regarded as the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. The monument covers the Stonewall Inn, Christopher Park and surrounding streets, where police raids in June 1969 sparked days of protests and unrest.
According to theNational Park Service, the uprising provided momentum for a nationwide civil rights movement that led to the creation of dozens of advocacy organisations.Encyclopaedia Britannicadescribesthe riots as a catalyst for international gay rights activism. Historyrecordsthat during the early hours of 28 June 1969, police entered the Stonewall Inn, arrested employees and patrons, and attempted to clear the bar. Instead, crowds gathered, objects were thrown, and clashes continued for several nights.
In 2016, then-PresidentBarack Obamadesignated the area as a national monument, making it the first US landmark dedicated to LGBTQ+ history.
The National Park Servicesaidthe flag was removed to comply with Interior Department guidance requiring uniformity across federal sites.
A spokesperson said Stonewall's legacy would continue to be preserved through exhibits, programming and visitor education.
The memo, issued after PresidentDonald Trump's second inauguration, limits most NPS flagpoles to official government flags, with only narrow exceptions. Pride banners are no longer permitted under that framework.
Source: International Business Times UK
